Was Cornelius Lost?

  Cornelius was told to send for Peter "who shall tell thee words whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved" (Acts 11: 14). If he was not lost he did not need to hear what Peter would say. That cannot be dismissed. Many are lost today who have never heard but they are lost.

  Cornelius was saved by faith through the grace of God (Acts 15: 9, 11). Faith comes by hearing the Word (Rom. 10: 17). If he was not lost he did not need to hear the Word. Peter should have left him alone rather than run the risk of him rejecting the gospel and removing himself from the saved to the lost. Yes, he was lost until he heard, believed and obeyed the gospel, God's power unto salvation (Rom. 1: 16); just like everybody else.

  Raising irrelevant unanswered questions pertaining to Cornelius serves no good purpose whatsoever. Speculations and maybe-so rationalizations is not preaching the Word. What profit is there to climb out on speculative limbs? We tell others to stay with the Word. We do best to do the same ourselves